From Sacred Texts to Secular Acts of Diversity and Inclusion by Jonathan

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

From Sacred Texts to Secular Acts of Diversity and Inclusion by Jonathan Moving the Church Toward Reconciliation: From Sacred Texts to Secular Acts of Diversity and Inclusion by Jonathan Cunningham Augustine, JD, MDiv. Date: March 17, 2020 Approved: __________________________________ L. Gregory Jones, PhD, Supervisor ______________________________________ Kimberly D. Hewitt, JD, Second Reader ________________________________________ Bishop Willimon H. Willimon, DMin Director Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in the Divinity School of Duke University 2020 i ABSTRACT Moving the Church Toward Reconciliation: From Sacred Texts to Secular Acts of Diversity and Inclusion by Jonathan Cunningham Augustine, JD, MDiv. Date: March 17, 2020 Approved: _____________________________________ L. Gregory Jones, PhD, Supervisor ______________________________________ Kimberly D. Hewitt, JD, Second Reader ________________________________________ Bishop Willimon H. Willimon, DMin Director An abstract submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in the Divinity School of Duke University 2020 ii Copyright © by Jonathan C. Augustine 2020 iii ABSTRACT Reconciliation is one of the few terms having widespread usage in the American lexicon, after originating in the biblical canon. Although popularly used to denote parties giving up their enmity and finding commonality, reconciliation’s meaning is much deeper. In the succeeding five chapters, I move from reconciliation’s theological use in sacred biblical texts, to its practical application, through diversity and inclusion principals, specifically exploring three usages of the term. I contextualize reconciliation as salvific, social, and civil. The first two usages, salvific and social, are Christocentric. The third, however, civil, is primarily secular. Salvific reconciliation is the most Christocentric of the three usages. It denotes humanity being reconciled in its relationship with God through Jesus. Stated otherwise, it means Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead so humanity could receive the unmerited gift of eternal life. Argument can indeed be made that the heart of Christian theology embraces salvific reconciliation as its most fundamental tenant. Social reconciliation, a close companion of civil reconciliation, is the focus of chapter 2. In addition to the fact that Jesus died, Jesus also lived. In relying on Peter’s leadership and Paul’s theology, I contextualize social reconciliation by exploring select portions Matthew, the Book of Acts, and the Pauline corpus to argue that regardless of race, ethnicity, social standing, class or gender, once one is baptized into the church, (s)he has equal social standing within the body of Christ. Stated otherwise, whereas salvific reconciliation denotes humanity being reconciled in its relationship with God, through Jesus, social reconciliation means humans are reconciled with one another because of Jesus. Inasmuch as salvific and social reconciliation are Christocentric, chapter 3 contextualizes civil reconciliation, an ethic that is primarily secular. As a direct derivative of social reconciliation, iv civil reconciliation embraces an egalitarian-like ethic that motivates both clergy and laity to act with prophetic resistance in challenging unjust governmental practices by seeking legal redress and equal standing. The best contextualization of civil reconciliation was Martin Luther King, Jr.’s prophetic leadership in bringing the black church into the secular politics of the Civil Rights Movement. I argue civil reconciliation was successful, especially from an empirical perspective, as measured by the gains of diversity and inclusion associated with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the institution of affirmative action. Insofar as the old cliché is true that “every action has a reaction,” chapter 4’s focus is the reaction to civil reconciliation’s success, a fusion of white evangelical Christians becoming openly aligned with conservative, Republican Party politics. That fusion, initiated by Richard Nixon’s southern strategy in the late 1960s and solidified under Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, also eventually led to the political extremity of Donald Trump’s 2016 “Make America Great Again,” a narrative that is the anthesis of reconciliation. Trump’s well-documented extremity has publicly revealed factions within evangelicalism that present opportunities to align conservative and more progressive Christians on matters that will strengthen the church universal, through diversity and inclusion principals that are consistent with the inclusiveness God progressively established in scripture. Accordingly, as a conclusion, chapter 5 asks the proverbial question, “Where Do We Go From Here?” I suggest that if the church can successfully move toward reconciliation, through diversity and inclusion practices that are consistent with God’s intention, as evidenced through scripture, the church can also be an exemplar for society-at-large to move toward reconciliation, too. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DEDICATION There are so many individuals and institutions to whom I owe sincere thanks! Although this culminating written work is the product of my individual labor, it results from an academic, ecclesial, social, and familial support system that has encouraged and nurtured me in ways beyond my capacity of written expression. It is to them I am immeasurably thankful!!! I entered Duke University’s Doctor of Ministry program in August 2017, after ably preparing for my cohort’s first residential intensive on Duke’s beautiful campus. As someone deeply grounded in the Christian faith, I was especially grateful our intensive began with an intimate worship experience at Duke Chapel. In standing at the chapel’s main entrance, I was drawn-in by its architectural design and ornate stone carvings depicting significant figures of influence in the history of both the church and American South. One carving was of Robert E. Lee, a general in the Confederate Army. In what seemed like only hours after our first residential intensive began, an undercurrent of divisiveness—largely centered around race—once again enveloped the United States. It was only three months earlier, in May 2017, while serving as the national chaplain of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and senior pastor of New Orleans’ Historic St. James AME Church, I led the fraternity in an organized prayer vigil to remove Confederate monuments from public view. Our nonviolent, prayerful efforts were successful in that, in a matter of days, the city’s mayor removed monuments of Jefferson Davis, P.G.T. Beauregard, and Robert E. Lee. By August 2017, however, the country’s temperament was not prayerful. It was violent. During my first residential intensive, a violent public protest broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia that resulted in serval deaths. As tensions centered around factions between white supremist Nazis and African American protestors, the president of the United States—often vi accused of being racist because of outlandish comments—stoked racial tensions by attributing fault to “both sides.” It was in the midst of this unfolding drama that I really began to understand the depths of inclusivity at Duke. President Vincent Price, who became the university’s 10th president only one month before, took the bold leadership position of having the Robert E. Lee statute removed from the chapel’s entrance. Price’s leadership was bold and also reassuring. It reassured me, as an African American male, that I was welcome at an institution that would shape my thinking and public proclamation of inclusivity. I am therefore thankful to be a part of Duke’s family. From an institutional perspective, I am also thankful to the two congregations that supported my matriculation, Historic St. James and St. Joseph AME Church in Durham. After serving two other congregations in the Louisiana Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Bishop Julius Harrison McAllister, Sr. assigning me, a young pastor, to a very historic congregation. Historic St. James was founded in 1844 and is the first AME congregation established in the Deep South. Whereas Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina (site of the horrific June 2015 church massacre) was established in 1816 as the denomination’s first congregation in the South, Historic St. James was founded in 1844, in New Orleans, as the denomination’s first congregation in the Deep South. When my predecessor retired, there was no shortage of capable ministers who desired to succeed him. To my surprise, Bishop McAllister appointed me. I am extremely thankful to Historic St. James for the way she received me and supported my ministry. We loved each other and worked together to make tremendous progress in rebuilding and rebranding the oldest predominately black, Protestant church in New Orleans. When I was originally assigned in 2015, worship was still held in the adjacent fellowship hall because of damage resulting from Hurricane Katrina, 10-years prior vii to my appointment. For four years, God blessed our work. We completely renovated the church edifice, developed new ministries, and attracted many new members. From 2017 to 2019, the congregation’s Board of Stewards, under Dr. Lindsey Moore’s leadership, supported my studies at Duke because they believed in the value of continued education. I am thankful to have served Historic St. James. Immediately after completing classes and beginning the yearlong research and writing that culminates with this work,
Recommended publications
  • 1 Gallo-Roman Relations Under the Early Empire by Ryan Walsh A
    Gallo-Roman Relations under the Early Empire By Ryan Walsh A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2013 © Ryan Walsh 2013 1 Author's Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This paper examines the changing attitudes of Gallo-Romans from the time of Caesar's conquest in the 50s BCE to the start of Vespasian's reign in 70-71 CE and how Roman prejudice shaped those attitudes. I first examine the conflicted opinions of the Gauls in Caesar's time and how they eventually banded together against him but were defeated. Next, the activities of each Julio-Claudian emperor are examined to see how they impacted Gaul and what the Gallo-Roman response was. Throughout this period there is clear evidence of increased Romanisation amongst the Gauls and the prominence of the region is obvious in imperial policy. This changes with Nero's reign where Vindex's rebellion against the emperor highlights the prejudices still effecting Roman attitudes. This only becomes worse in the rebellion of Civilis the next year. After these revolts, the Gallo-Romans appear to retreat from imperial offices and stick to local affairs, likely as a direct response to Rome's rejection of them.
    [Show full text]
  • Keltoi and Hellenes: a Study of the Celts in the Hellenistic World
    KELTOI AND THE HELLENES A STUDY OF THE CELTS IN THE HELLENISTIC WoRU) PATRICK EGAN In the third century B.C. a large body ofCeltic tribes thrust themselves violently into the turbulent world of the Diadochoi,’ immediately instilling fear, engendering anger and finally, commanding respect from the peoples with whom they came into contact. Their warlike nature, extreme hubris and vigorous energy resembled Greece’s own Homeric past, but represented a culture, language and way of life totally alien to that of the Greeks and Macedonians in this period. In the years that followed, the Celts would go on to ravage Macedonia, sack Delphi, settle their own “kingdom” and ifil the ranks of the Successors’ armies. They would leave indelible marks on the Hellenistic World, first as plundering barbaroi and finally, as adapted, integral elements and members ofthe greatermulti-ethnic society that was taking shape around them. This paper will explore the roles played by the Celts by examining their infamous incursions into Macedonia and Greece, their phase of settlement and occupation ofwhat was to be called Galatia, their role as mercenaries, and finally their transition and adaptation, most noticeably on the individual level, to the demands of the world around them. This paper will also seek to challenge some of the traditionally hostile views held by Greek historians regarding the role, achievements, and the place the Celts occupied as members, not simply predators, of the Hellenistic World.2 19 THE DAWN OF THE CELTS IN THE HELLENISTIC WORLD The Celts were not unknown to all Greeks in the years preceding the Deiphic incursion of February, 279.
    [Show full text]
  • The Herodotos Project (OSU-Ugent): Studies in Ancient Ethnography
    Faculty of Literature and Philosophy Julie Boeten The Herodotos Project (OSU-UGent): Studies in Ancient Ethnography Barbarians in Strabo’s ‘Geography’ (Abii-Ionians) With a case-study: the Cappadocians Master thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Linguistics and Literature, Greek and Latin. 2015 Promotor: Prof. Dr. Mark Janse UGent Department of Greek Linguistics Co-Promotores: Prof. Brian Joseph Ohio State University Dr. Christopher Brown Ohio State University ACKNOWLEDGMENT In this acknowledgment I would like to thank everybody who has in some way been a part of this master thesis. First and foremost I want to thank my promotor Prof. Janse for giving me the opportunity to write my thesis in the context of the Herodotos Project, and for giving me suggestions and answering my questions. I am also grateful to Prof. Joseph and Dr. Brown, who have given Anke and me the chance to be a part of the Herodotos Project and who have consented into being our co- promotores. On a whole other level I wish to express my thanks to my parents, without whom I would not have been able to study at all. They have also supported me throughout the writing process and have read parts of the draft. Finally, I would also like to thank Kenneth, for being there for me and for correcting some passages of the thesis. Julie Boeten NEDERLANDSE SAMENVATTING Deze scriptie is geschreven in het kader van het Herodotos Project, een onderneming van de Ohio State University in samenwerking met UGent. De doelstelling van het project is het aanleggen van een databank met alle volkeren die gekend waren in de oudheid.
    [Show full text]
  • The One Who Even Did It, but It’S Methodist Bishop-In-Residence
    182462 BU 182462 Cover~P.pdf 1 5_17_2018 Nonprofit Inside: US Postage PAID Equality for women pastors Boston MA Cornell William Brooks on training 745 Commonwealth Avenue Permit No. 1839 seminarians to fight injustice Boston, Massachusetts 02215 2018 At STH, I was surrounded by professors and supervisors who were passionate about preparing me for the journey that followed, and colleagues who were exploring how God was involved in their lives and in the world. The impact of my theological education on my personal and professional SINGING development has been long-standing, for which I am very grateful. THE Frank J. Richardson, Jr. (’77,’82) Richardson has included a gift to STH in his estate plans. BLUESON Education is a gift. Pass it on. We can find faith for the future even in the depths of despair MAKE YOUR IMPACT THROUGH A PLANNED GIFT Contact us today at [email protected] or 800-645-2347 focus is made possible by donations Dotty Raynor from BU STH alumni and friends 182462 BU 182462 Cover~P.pdf 2 5_17_2018 182462 BU 182462 Text~P.pdf 3 5_17_2018 TABLEof Boston University CONTENTS School of Theology 2018 DEAN’S MESSAGE 2 JOURNAL: LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF TURMOIL Dean MARY ELIZABETH MOORE Director of Development FEATURES Singing the Blues on a Note of Hope 20 Martin Luther, Rebel with a Cause 36 RAY JOYCE (Questrom’91) Holding on when we’re harassed by hell A profile of the reformer who upended the Alumni Relations Officer By Julian Armand Cook (’16) Church in his quest to heal it Tiny Homes for Big Dreams 10 JACLYN K.
    [Show full text]
  • The Church Should Be an Agent of Reconciliation, Justice and Unity
    The church should be an agent of reconciliation, justice and unity within the disintegrated society: uniting Reformed church in Southern Africa (URCSA) perspective BY LESETJA JACOB RABOSHAKGA Submitted in accordance with the requirements For the degree of Masters of Theology in the subject systematic Theology At the University of South Africa Promoter: Prof LJ MODISE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA APRIL 2019 i DECLARATION I, LESETJA JACOB RABOSHAKGA, declare that: The church should be an agent of reconciliation, justice and unity within the disintegrated society: uniting Reformed church in Southern Africa (URCSA) Perspective is my own work and that all the sources that I have quoted were indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Signature……………………………… Date: 31 January 2019 Lesetja Jacob Raboshakga (31009948) ii SUMMARY The researcher in this study focuses on reconciliation, justice and unity in the church and society, Mokopane being the investigative centre. In this study, it has been evident that this was a noble exercise to focus on reconciliation, justice and unity in South Africa. The researcher concludes that much needs to be done in the future to address division in the church and society. The passiveness of the church in the process is jeopardizing reconciliation, justice and unity. Reconciliation, justice and unity have been explicitly being explained. They are important in a sense that they form the bottom or base live from people and believe system could be well understood and thereby enable them to measure their role in the concept of reconciliation, justice and unity. These are the gospel imperative and unavoidable. Qualitative research was explicitly stated, described and discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • From “A Theology of Genocide” to a “Theology of Reconciliation”? on the Role of Christian Churches in the Nexus of Religion and Genocide in Rwanda
    religions Article From “a Theology of Genocide” to a “Theology of Reconciliation”? On the Role of Christian Churches in the Nexus of Religion and Genocide in Rwanda Christine Schliesser 1,2 1 Institute for Social Ethics, Zurich University, Zollikerstr. 117, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland; [email protected] 2 Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch Central, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa Received: 13 December 2017; Accepted: 18 January 2018; Published: 23 January 2018 Abstract: This paper explores the role of a specific religious actor, namely Christian churches, in the nexus of religion and genocide in Rwanda. Four factors are identified that point to the churches’ complicity in creating and sustaining the conditions in which the 1994 genocide could occur, leaving up to one million people dead. These factors include the close relationship between church and state, the churches’ endorsement of ethnic policies, power struggles within the churches, and a problematic theology emphasizing obedience instead of responsibility. Nevertheless, the portrayal of all Christian churches as collaborators of the genocide appears too simplistic and one-sided. Various church-led initiatives for peace and reconciliation prior to the genocide indicate a more complex picture of church involvement. Turning away from a “Theology of Genocide” that endorsed ethnic violence, numerous Christian churches in Rwanda now propagate a “Theology of Reconciliation.” A modest empirical case study of the Presbyterian Church (EPR) reveals how their “Theology of Reconciliation” embraces the four dimensions of theology, institutions, relationships, and remembrance. Based on their own confession of guilt in the Detmold Confession of 1996, the EPR’s engagement for reconciliation demonstrates religion’s constructive contribution in Rwanda’s on-going quest for sustainable peace and development.
    [Show full text]
  • Was Galatian Really Celtic? Anthony Durham & Michael Goormachtigh First Published November 2011, Updated to October 2016
    Was Galatian Really Celtic? Anthony Durham & Michael Goormachtigh first published November 2011, updated to October 2016 Summary Saint Jerome’s AD 386 remark that the language of ancient Galatia (around modern Ankara) resembled the language of the Treveri (around modern Trier) has been misinterpreted. The “Celts”, “Gauls” or “Galatians” mentioned by classical authors, including those who invaded Greece and Anatolia around 277 BC, were not Celtic in the modern sense of speaking a Celtic language related to Welsh and Irish, but tall, pale-skinned, hairy, warrior peoples from the north. The 150 or so words and proper names currently known from Galatian speech show little affinity with Celtic but more with Germanic. Introduction In AD 386 Saint Jerome wrote: Apart from the Greek language, which is spoken throughout the entire East, the Galatians have their own language, almost the same as the Treveri. For many people this short remark is the linchpin of a belief that ancient Celtic speech spread far outside its Atlantic-fringe homeland, reaching even into the heart of Anatolia, modern Turkey. However, we wish to challenge the idea that Galatians spoke a language that was Celtic in the modern sense of being closely related to Welsh or Irish. Galatia was the region around ancient Ancyra, modern Ankara, in the middle of Turkey. Anatolia (otherwise known as Asia Minor) has seen many civilisations come and go over the millennia. Around 8000 BC it was a cradle of agriculture and the Neolithic revolution. The whole family of Indo-European languages originated somewhere in that region. We favour the idea that they grew up around the Black Sea all the way from northern Anatolia, past the mouth of the river Danube, to southern Russia and Ukraine.
    [Show full text]
  • The Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Thomas F. Torrance
    The Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Thomas F. Torrance Kate Helen Dugdale Submitted to fulfil the requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Otago, November 2016. 1 2 ABSTRACT This thesis argues that rather than focusing on the Church as an institution, social grouping, or volunteer society, the study of ecclesiology must begin with a robust investigation of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Utilising the work of Thomas F. Torrance, it proposes that the Church is to be understood as an empirical community in space and time that is primarily shaped by the perichoretic communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, revealed by the economic work of the Son and the Spirit. The Church’s historical existence is thus subordinate to the Church’s relation to the Triune God, which is why the doctrine of the Trinity is assigned a regulative influence in Torrance’s work. This does not exclude the essential nature of other doctrines, but gives pre-eminence to the doctrine of the Trinity as the foundational article for ecclesiology. The methodology of this thesis is one of constructive analysis, involving a critical and constructive appreciation of Torrance’s work, and then exploring how further dialogue with Torrance’s work can be fruitfully undertaken. Part A (Chapters 1-5) focuses on the theological architectonics of Torrance’s ecclesiology, emphasising that the doctrine of the Trinity has precedence over ecclesiology. While the doctrine of the Church is the immediate object of our consideration, we cannot begin by considering the Church as a spatiotemporal institution, but rather must look ‘through the Church’ to find its dimension of depth, which is the Holy Trinity.
    [Show full text]
  • A Structure of Persuasion in Galatians: Epistolary and Rhetorical Appeal in an Aural Setting*
    Acta Theologica Supplementum 9 2007 D. Mitternacht A STRUCTURE OF PERSUASION IN GALATIANS: EPISTOLARY AND RHETORICAL APPEAL IN AN AURAL SETTING* ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to ponder the reception of the Letter to the Galatians in an aural setting. How did the first recipients react, what can we expect that they remem- bered after having listened to the letter? Are there structural elements in the letter that would have aided the aural reception of the letter? In four readings, the investigation traces textual indicators of interaction and emotion, compares their locations with epistolary and rhetorical structure-analysis and identi- fies a structure of persuasion. The focus on listeners is motivated by the supposition that illiteracy was the rule rather than the exception among those to whom the letter to the Galatians was sent. The different readings reveal a structure of persuasion with a realistic prospect to suc- ceed as a mnemonic device in an aural setting on a macro-structural level. Situational passages (1:6-10; 3:1-5; 4:8-20; 5:2-12 and 6:12-13), together with recurring affirma- tions of Christ and Paul as embodiments of faithfulness and commitment in suffering, imprint on the aural memory of the first listeners a concern for an imitatio Christi crucifixi. 1. INTRODUCTION The aim of this investigation is to identify a structure of persuasion in Galatians and its mnemonic potential for a listening audience. In a scribal culture where illiteracy is the rule rather than the exception and back looping over previous lines and paragraphs of the text the privilege of but a few, it seems appro- priate to ponder the potential of a performance of the letter to the Galatian addressees for aural memory.
    [Show full text]
  • THE GEOGRAPHY of GALATIA Gal 1:2; Act 18:23; 1 Cor 16:1
    CHAPTER 38 THE GEOGRAPHY OF GALATIA Gal 1:2; Act 18:23; 1 Cor 16:1 Mark Wilson KEY POINTS • Galatia is both a region and a province in central Asia Minor. • The main cities of north Galatia were settled by the Gauls in the third cen- tury bc. • The main cities of south Galatia were founded by the Greeks starting in the third century bc. • Galatia became a Roman province in 25 bc, and the Romans established colonies in many of its cities. • Pamphylia was part of Galatia in Paul’s day, so Perga and Attalia were cities in south Galatia. GALATIA AS A REGION and their families who migrated from Galatia is located in a basin in north-cen- Thrace in 278 bc. They had been invited tral Asia Minor that is largely flat and by Nicomedes I of Bithynia to serve as treeless. Within it are the headwaters of mercenaries in his army. The Galatians the Sangarius River (mode rn Sakarya) were notorious for their destructive and the middle course of the Halys River forays, and in 241 bc the Pergamenes led (modern Kızılırmak). The capital of the by Attalus I defeated them at the battle Hittite Empire—Hattusha (modern of the Caicus. The statue of the dying Boğazköy)—was in eastern Galatia near Gaul, one of antiquity’s most noted the later site of Tavium. The name Galatia works of art, commemorates that victo- derives from the twenty thousand Gauls ry. 1 The three Galatian tribes settled in 1 . For the motif of dying Gauls, see Brigitte Kahl, Galatians Re-imagined: Reading with the Eyes of the Vanquished (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010), 77–127.
    [Show full text]
  • The Doctrine of Reconciliation: Its Meaning and Implications for Social Life
    In die Skriflig / In Luce Verbi ISSN: (Online) 2305-0853, (Print) 1018-6441 Page 1 of 8 Original Research The doctrine of reconciliation: Its meaning and implications for social life Author: Reconciliation as a socio-political concept, has become highly topical in the South African 1 J.M. Vorster discourse about social transformation over the past two decades in the aftermath of Apartheid. Affiliation: The idea of reconciliation emanates from the Christian tradition and is deeply embedded in 1Unit for Reformed Theology Christian theology. For many centuries, the concept was dealt with as a merely theological and the Development of the concept belonging to the field of systematic theology and the pious, mystical and spiritual SA Society, North-West experience of Christians. Can this idea be transferred to the socio-political realm? The purpose University, South Africa of this article is to venture an answer to this question. The central theoretical argument is that Corresponding author: the theology of reconciliation deals intrinsically with new relationships, and that these J.M. Vorster, relationships have a concrete socio-political and ethical meaning. The aim is firstly, to [email protected] investigate the idea as a theological concept from a classic reformed perspective and to Dates: ascertain whether the theological meaning can be transferred to the socio-political context as is Received: 14 Mar. 2018 done today in secular politics. The article concludes by stating that the doctrine of reconciliation, Accepted: 18 July 2018 as seen from a classic reformed perspective, can be applied to all kinds of relations and has a Published: 05 Nov.
    [Show full text]
  • 7. Questioning the Power of God Ultimately Threatens to Break the Operating Hermeneutical Circle of Any Community
    This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Signs, wonders and church growth Percy, Martyn William The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 10. Oct. 2021 -1- 'SIGNS, WONDERS AND CHURCH GROWTH" THE THEME OF POWER IN CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISM WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE WORKS OF JOHN WIMBER Martyn William Percy submitted for The Degree of Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies King's College, London 1993 -2- THESIS SYNOPSIS As a phenomenon, fundamentalism is commonly found in many of the world's major religions.
    [Show full text]